1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the integrity testing of electrical conductors, and more particularly to a method for detecting faults in a synthetic electro-mechanical cable for marine use caused by damage to the conductor insulation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Detection of an electrical short in the conductor of a synthetic electro-mechanical cable, such as would result in a wound or imperfection in the insulation, is difficult due to the fact that the synthetic reinforcement, such as Kevlar, is a non-conductor. Therefore, there is nothing against which to megger the insulation resistance of the conductor, such as is the case with steel-armored cable. This difficulty is compounded when the cable is wound on a payout bail in which all the voids are filed with a non-conductive filler such as depolymerized rubber. Thus, a short cannot be found by immersing the finished bail in water and meggering the insulation resistance of the conductor against the conductive water, i.e., no water path exists. This also may be the case of a tightly wound reel of cable where there is no assurance of good water penetration without applying pressure. The result is a difficulty in testing synthetically strengthened electro-mechanical cables, with any faults appearing only when the cable is deployed in a marine environment, an undesirable situation.